Turnover
by Asukasammy
Summary: N'kar visits a winter gather in Tillek and runs into Kayta, Weyrwoman of the Renegade Weyr, who is out and about when she shouldn't be.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: Hello Readers!_

_I'm alive! I haven't abandoned you or Renegade Weyr or Between Two Worlds! I've actually been REALLY busy at work lately and I haven't had much time to write. What little time I do have is spent working on getting my own original story ready for publishing. _

_Anyways, to get back into the swing of updating, I have decided to share the first part of a short story that takes place in the same universe as Renegade Weyr. It's set a month or two after the most recent chapter, so you may want to read that first if you haven't, but doesn't contain any spoilers for any upcoming chapters (well... maybe one or two strong hints). The next part will be up on Friday, and the last bit on Monday or Tuesday._

_Enjoy and Happy Holidays!_

_~AS_

* * *

At first N'kar thought she might be a figment of his imagination.

It was turnover time again, and R'nahl had granted his wing leave to visit the mainland and the various festivals being thrown by the holders to celebrate the beginning of the new turn. While others had gone back to Benden to visit loved ones, or to Southern where the weather was much warmer, N'kar had found himself drawn to the icy shores of Tillek instead. It just didn't feel like winter, he told himself, until he had stamped around in the snow.

Just ahead of him, a girl who resembled Kayta walked alone, perusing the gather stalls. He caught glimpses of her through the crowd as she stopped here and there to admire this bit of jewelry or run her fingertips across this bit of fabric. However, it couldn't be her: Kayta wasn't supposed to be outside of the Weyr without a bronzerider as an escort, and, while she might have disobeyed restrictions in the past according to N'bel, she had honored the Benden Weyrleader's request thus far. Besides, her dragon was not reclining on the fireheights with the other dragons.

The girl turned to ask the journeyman at a stall a question, giving N'kar a clear look at her face. He had not been imagining things - it really was Kayta standing there as the snow drifted down around the gather.

He paused to study her, watching as she bartered with the Journeyman over a price and gave him two marks for the item. He was pleased to see that she looked well. She had gained a bit of weight, so her face was no longer as gaunt as it used to be and her clothes no longer hung on her body. The winter wind had turned her cheeks and nose pink with its chill, and the corners of her eyes crinkled just a tad when she smiled at the holders who pause to give her turnover greetings.

For a moment N'kar remembered the first time he saw that smile, during a different gather in the summer when he thought she was just a runner. His heart ached for what might have been.

_It still can be_, Elanth's voice flooded his rider's thoughts.

_True_, Queenriders had taken brownriders as lovers before. Maybe he and Kayta could come to an agreement after Lysith flew and the new Weyrleader was decided. However, he had no idea if Kayta felt the same way and, even if she did, how could he trust her again after all the lies she had told?

_You think too much_. Elanth's mental snort rumbled through his head. _She is not like that other one at all._

_We should tell R'nahl_. N'kar decided to change the subject rather than get into an argument with his dragon over who was better: his ex-weyrmate Llydwen or Kayta. _She shouldn't be here by herself. What if Lysith rises?_

_Then I will catch her._

N'kar chuckled. _That will never happen! _The dragon was oddly silent and, for a moment, his rider worried that he might have offended the brown. _Elanth?_

_You were going to have me bespeak Xanth? What should I tell him?_

_Tell him that..._ He paused, distracted by yet another smile that she gave the journeyman. She seemed so happy and carefree, and he couldn't quite bring himself to ruin it just yet. He knew that the chances for Kayta to relax had been few and far between ever since she had become a Weyrwoman. The riders at the Weyr gossiped about how hard she worked and how often the glows in the records room stayed unshuttered until late into the night. They did not approve of the strain that showed on her face from trying to live up to Benden's standards, or that that R'nahl and Malena shadowed her every move.

_Lysith is nearby. She will not let any harm come to her rider_. The brown dragon suggested having sensed his rider's softening. _We could leave and pretend we never saw her_.

_Dragons aren't supposed to lie_. In fact they were too honest sometimes.

_You would be the one doing the lying. I would sit and be silent._

_If Kaelith asked, you would have to tell her._

_Kaelith is not my queen anymore._

_Don't let her hear you say that! _Despite himself, and how he knew it would be in her best interests if she had an escort, N'kar found himself turning around in the other direction. If anyone asked him if he knew where she had been, he would just pretend he hadn't seen her. Turnover would be over soon enough, and it would be back to drills and flying thread as soon as the holiday was over. _Fine, let her have her day of freedom - we will go somewhere else_. There were other things he could do instead... things far away from here and far away from any trouble the renegade weyrwoman could get him into. He really should visit his family and make sure their hold was still faring well now that their trade agreement with the Island Weyr had never come through. Plus there was the issue of his son to address: as much as Nelladwyn would like to stay at Benden, it really wasn't fair of him to ask them to continue to foster the boy now that he settled on the Island. Plus, they would need candidates for whenever Lysith or Kaelith finally flew and clutched and Nelladwyn was old enough to stand. Yes, there was much for him to do today.

"N'kar?" Kayta called out and he groaned; so much for his idea of avoiding trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

"Weyrwoman Kayta," N'kar turned to face her and gave her a little bow.

Her smile faltered at his formal greeting. "I was not expecting to see you here - R'nahl has kept you on a short leash lately."

"I could say the same for you, Queenrider." Now her smile had completely disappeared, and he groaned again; he had not meant to cast thread over her gather day. "I convinced him that constantly drilling the riders would only make them tired and sloppy and that we needed a day to relax."

"He's worried that we will not be prepared for Benden's inspection and that the council will decide to disband us." There was a sound of wood creaking nearby and Kayta looked back over her shoulder at the booth she had just left. The journeyman smith manning it was leaning out over the table, struggling to listen to their conversation. He would have a treasure trove of gossip for his master tonight, N'kar thought. Gossip that hopefully the other smiths would ignore. Kayta sighed and slid her arm through the space between N'kar's elbow and his body, "Walk with me, brownrider."

"Of course," He gave a nod to the journeyman smith who was gaping at them and let Kayta pull him further down the row of gather stalls. He waited until they were out of hearing before he said, "I thought you were not allowed out unless you have someone with you."

"I'm not a babe who needs to be watched constantly to make sure they don't put their fingers in the fire."

"No you aren't," N'kar replied. "But it's not safe for you to be alone right now."

"Do you really think anything is going to happen to me here? At a gather with all these people about?" She gestured at the holders and crafters wandering around them.

"Men and women have purses stolen from them all the time at gathers. Masterharper Robinton was also kidnapped at a gather, and there was a dead body found at one in Ista."

"Rare incidents. Besides, it's Turnover season."

He snorted. "Yes, because people pay attention to what season it is when they set out to hurt other people. But it's not just that Kayta - what if Lysith rises?"

"I would think I would know when my own dragon is about to rise."

He decided not to reply to that one, though a part of him wondered if the happy event was imminent based on the Weyrwoman's sudden waspishness. "I'll ask Elanth to bespeak Xanth to have R'nahl..."

"No, no." She stepped in front of him and held her hands out placatingly. "There's no need for that. You're here now, so I'm not really alone anymore, am I?"

"Actually, I was about to leave..."

"Oh."

"...And you probably should too if you don't want to get yelled at."

_Weren't we going to pretend we never saw her?_ Elanth asked

_She saw us. _

_She could agree to pretend she didn't see us._

"What is so amusing?" Kayta asked, interrupting his conversation with his dragon.

"Hm?"

"You're smiling."

"I smile all the time."

"Actually you haven't since you found out who I was."

"Elanth just made an amusing suggestion - that's all."

"Oh, and what was it?"

"Nothing important."

She arched an eyebrow. "I could ask Lysith to ask him what he said. She is his Queen after all."

"You wouldn't."

She didn't say anything - she just smiled at him, that one eyebrow of hers still arched up imperiously as if to say 'try it'. He ground his teeth together: is this what R'nahl had to suffer through on a daily basis? Between managing this wherry and Malena no wonder the man was always so irritable!

"Fine. Elanth suggested that we pretend that we didn't see each other here." Her eyes lit up as he spoke, her expression suddenly hopeful, but N'kar shook his head, his next words dispelling any ideas she might have had. "While I might have been amenable to the idea earlier, I believe the best thing for you now is to go back to the Weyr."

"I am the Weyrwoman..."

"Maybe once things have settled you can do what you wish - within reason of course - but until then it's best to..."

"... to pretend like we don't exist? I came to Benden for help so we could stop hiding."

"And that day will come..."

"Is this some sort of punishment for what the Weyr has done?" Her voice was rising, attracting attention from the holders passing by. "The decision to hide ourselves away was made long before I was ever born."

"Kayta..." He pleaded with her, but she wouldn't listen. She continued to rant and rave about about the injustices the Island Weyr was being forced to suffer due to the crimes Mainlanders felt they had committed and how it was unfair because they weren't all evil. He attempted to grab her arm, intending to drag her to a quiet part of the gather square where their conversation wouldn't cause such a scene. She flinched away from his touch and Lysith's bugle echoed through the mountains that made up Tillek hold.

_Gentle_. Elanth cautioned.

_You tell her dragon I'm not going to hurt her rider and calm her down - I'll handle Kayta_. Now holders were looking around for the source of the upset dragon, and more than few pair of eyes settled on N'kar and Kayta suspiciously. So much for trying to prevent news of them visiting Tillek from reaching Benden's ears. "Kai, you have to calm down." This time when N'kar reached out to her, he took her hand instead. Although she didn't flinch this time he could still feel fine tremors running across her skin. Damn Z'char and what he had done to her. "Kai, please."

"I'm fine." She took a deep breath but didn't meet his eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't know..."

"Let's go get a cup of klah."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note - So I was wrong... there's at least one more part to this story! Look for it sometime later this week!

* * *

N'kar guided her through the gather stalls until they found one selling klah and bubbly pies near the back of the square. Kayta's expression was strained as they waited in line to purchase the refreshments. He assumed that Lysith was still resisting her control even though the dragon's cries had faded.

_She is very protective of her rider_, Elanth said.

_I sensed that._ All dragons were, really, but the Island Weyr's queen took it to an extreme. Although he couldn't really blame her - the memory of the bruises on Kayta's arms still made him sick.

"You're not going to scold me for not keeping Lysith under control?" The weyrwoman's question was so low that N'kar almost didn't hear it.

"It would have made things easier if she hadn't made such a fuss - we both could have gone on our ways with no one the wiser that we were here - but what's done is done."

"She worries. R'nahl tends to hit things when he gets frustrated, and she fears he might..."

"R'nahl does have anger issues, but he would never hit a woman. None of us would."

"Lysith knows that."

"And yet she still bellowed when I tried to touch you."

"You startled me."

He looked at her in surprise, but she avoided his eyes. "How often did he hit you?"

"What?"

"How often did he hit you?" She stared at him, so he elaborated. "With the way that you reacted when I tried to touch you..."

"It was just the once - but it was enough."

He grunted. Sometimes that was all it took. They had reached the front of the line, so he bartered with the vendor - though it was more for joy of bartering than to achieve any discount. They quickly agreed on a price and N'kar handed her the cups of klah to hold while he paid the man. They found a spot to sit on a bale of hay nearby. "From what I've heard from the holders and the other riders, he sounds like a lovely man."

Kayta's laugh was bitter. "Oh, yes, a real gem - but enough about him: it's Turnover. We should be discussing happier things."

"Like?"

She took a sip of her klah and licked her lips. "What was your favorite Turnover?"

N'kar smiled; that was an easy question to answer. "The time I impressed Elanth."

"Really? Elanth is a turnover dragon?"

"Yes. The bronzeriders had all bet that the clutch would hatch after Turnover finished, but the dragonets had other ideas and the dragons started humming during the feast." He had been so nervous that day: it had been the third time he had stood on the hatching ground as a candidate, and he had been afraid that he would walk away alone yet again. He remembered that the sands had felt especially hot beneath his feet that day, and he had squeezed his hands into fists while the sounds of eggs cracking had filled the air. "Elanth was the first egg to hatch, and he headed straight for me."

"Of course."

"Of course." He nudged her leg with his knee. "And you? What was your favorite Turnover?"

"The turnover I made my first run to Fort. I should have stayed there since Fort has quite the Turnover celebration, but I was eager to return to Blue Vale and my friends."She sipped at her klah, hissing when it burned her tongue. "The snow was at least a foot deep that year, and I nearly lost my toes to frostbite. When I got back to the Hold, Holder Deln scolded me roundly, but Malena bossed everyone around until I had a seat in front of the fireplace and she made sure I had the choicest meats from the banquet."

N'kar smiled: he could picture Malena bossing others around to make sure that her friend was taken care of. It was a pity the two hardly talked unless they absolutely had to now - which reminded him... "We're not punishing you or the others, y'know. It's just best that we all stay close to the Island until things are... settled."

"I know. It's just... frustrating sometimes. Although, you would think I would be used to it by now."

"I can speak to R'nahl and Benden for you. There's another gather in Southern soon, perhaps they'll let you go."

"Thank you. I should have asked if I could come here today, but I guess old habits are just as hard to kill as thread."

"Speaking of things settling - has Lysith shown any signs of rising?"

Kayta shook her head. "No, the last time she rose was in the spring though, so maybe then."

"Ah." That explained why all the Island riders had placed bets on their Queen flying to mate in the third and fourth months of the new turn. He closed his eyes, wanting to ask if she had considered who she might like to have win the flight but, at the same time, he was afraid of what she might answer. "Do you prefer..."

She blushed and looked away. "There is someone, but I doubt he feels the same way. And the odds aren't in his favor."

"Hm." He assumed she meant M'rocav. The bronze rider was the favorite of many of the Islander dragonriders - and a few of the mainlander riders had taken a shine to him as well. However, N'kar knew that he frequented the bed of one of the lower caverns women. Though those things hardly mattered when dragons flew to mate.

They sat in silence, watching the holders walk around the gather square. Kayta scooted across the bale of hay until she was pressed firmly against N'kar's side. She shivered despite the layers of clothing and wherhide she wore, "I'd forgotten how cold the mainland can get."

"Oh it's not that bad." She gave him a look and he chuckled. Nearby, harpers had stepped up on a stage and started playing selections from their repertoire. Even though room had not been cleared for dancing - that would happen later, during the banquet inside of the Hold - couples had gathered in front of the stage and moved to the rhythm of the music, eager for any activity to help them stay warm. N'kar took Kayta's empty klah mug from her hands and set it aside. "C'mon."

"What? Are we returning to the Weyr now?"

"No, I think we need to warm up a bit before going _between_. Berjoui will have my hide if I let you go back frozen." He pulled her to her feet and into the crowd of people.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: I added a little more dialogue to the end of part 3 - but it's just a fun little bit that really isn't important to the story, so you don't need to go back and read it if you don't want to. _

* * *

They danced longer than N'kar had intended. He had planned to leave after one dance, send Kayta on her way back to the Weyr and then start on his errands, but one look at her smiling face and he found himself agreeing to one more dance and then another and another. Let her enjoy herself while she can, he thought, she would be right back to work as soon as they returned to the Weyr. His reasons weren't entirely selfless - he was also enjoying having her attention all to himself. Even if she did have her eye on M'rocav, when she smiled at him like she was doing now, he could pretend for a moment that he was the only one she cared about aside from her dragon.

Once the harpers had finished playing, and the holders and crafters retreated inside for the night, N'kar and Kayta finally left for the Island Weyr. Kayta had wanted to time it back so that she arrived earlier than she had left in order to avoid any confrontations with R'nahl. N'kar pointed out that a discussion was sure to happen once the others found out where she had been regardless of when she arrived back at the Weyr - but since he had been with her all day, then the only thing they might have to worry about was the fact that she hadn't told anyone where she had planned on going. She smiled at that, "So I won't have to face the wherries alone then?"

"No, you won't have to face the wherries alone. Though if R'nahl claims I'm letting my feelings for you get in the way of my responsibilities, I will let him know that this was entirely your idea." Kayta had been the one to suggest that N'kar needn't tell R'nahl where they were since he was with her.

"Fine. Then I get to pull rank on him."

"As long as you don't let Lysith bellow."

"Allright. But she at least gets to pull rank on his dragon and Kaelith. She is the Queen after all, and they've been getting a bit too uppity lately..."

The tropical air was muggy and thick after the brisk cold of Tillek, and they quickly stripped off their wherhide jackets as they walked towards the cluster of buildings and caves that made up the Weyr's lower caverns. Up ahead N'kar could see a shadow pacing in front of the well lit dining cavern; R'nahl. He stepped in front of Kayta as if to protect her from the outburst he was sure that awaited them, but the Weyrwoman grabbed his hand, stopping him. "What?"

"Once we get up there I may not have a chance to speak with you again for awhile. I wanted to thank you for staying at the gather even though you had other things to do."

"It's nothing."

"Remember how I said my favorite Turnover was the one at Blue Vale? I think today bested it." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then turned to start back up the hill to face her fate, leaving the brownrider staring after her in a stunned silence.

* * *

_AN Part Two: I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into N'kar and Kayta's lives. If you enjoyed reading it, and you haven't checked out Renegade Weyr yet, I highly recommend that you take a glance at it. There will be more updates to it in the near future!_

_Love,_

_AS_


End file.
